Toy nursing bottle for dolls



April 12, 1966 R. GARDEL ETAL TOY NURSING BOTTLE FOR DOLLS Filed Aug.'7, 1963 INVENTORb r" 5 M ATTO NEYS United States Patent 3,245,174 TOYNURSING BOTTLE FOR DOLLS Robert Gardel, New York, and Egon Gorsky,Brooklyn, N.Y., assignors to Doll Bottles, 1nd, Brooklyn, N.Y., acorporation of New York Filed Aug. 7, 1963, Ser- No. 300,601 7 Claims.(Cl. 461) This application is a continuation-in-part of applicantscopending application Serial No. 251,910, filed January 16, 1963, nowPatent No. 3,105,325, wherein a bottle without the provision for actualdispensing of a liquid is disclosed and claimed.

This invention relates to a toy nursing bottle for dolls andparticularly such a bottle in which a quantity of liquid is permanentlyretained in connected chambers between which the liquid can flow, onechamber permitting the liquid to be seen, as if the bottle were full,and the other chamber permitting the liquid to be concealed as if thebottle were empty; these features being combined with elements making itpossible to fill a chamber with a liquid, such as water, and to dispensesaid liquid in a controlled manner from the nipple end of the bottle.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a bottle which is ofvery simple construction and which can be operated reliably andeffectively for indefinite lengths of time.

It is a further object to provide such a bottle which is more realisticin appearance than others previously known.

It is another object to provide certain improvements in the form,construction and arrangement of the several parts whereby the abovenamed and other objects may effectively be attained.

A practical embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 represents a vertical axial section through the bottle in itserect position;

FIG. 2 represents a similar section with the bottle substantiallyinverted, and

FIG. 3 represents a horizontal section on the line III-III of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the bottle is conveniently made in fourparts, the outer shell 1, the filler-container 2, the upper cap 3 andthe bottom cap 4, each being conveniently of a suitable plasticmaterial, the body shell 1 and filler-container 2 being somewhattransparent or at least translucent,while the upper cap 3 is opaque andmay be colored and the bottom cap 4 is also opaque and of the same ordifferent color.

The body shell is shown as comprising a cylindrical side wall 5 and anexternally flat (or slightly concave) bottom 6, theinner surface of thebottom being provided with an annular ridge 7 spaced at short distancefrom the wall and one or more small holes 8 being formed through thebottom 6 within the area defined by the ridge 7.

The filler-container 2 likewise comprises a cylindrical side wall 9,having an outside diameter slightly less than the inside diameter of thewall 5 and being closed at the top by a slanting end wall 10. The bottomedge of the side wall 9 engages snugly around the outside of the ridge 7and rests against the bottom 6 of the body shell, being additionallycentered, if desired, by spaced lateral projections 11 or the like. Asmall tube 12 projects upward from the end wall 10, the bore of the tubebeing in communication with the interior of the filler-container 2.

The upper cap 3 is shown as being generally hemispherical in form, withan outwardly and downwardly extending flange 13 designed to engagearound and over the upper edge of the wall 5 to which it may becemented. Internally, the surface of the cap is cylindrical, asindicated at 14, through about half of its height, up to the "Ice line15, this cylindrical portion being provided with a plurality of smallvertical grooves 16 (four such grooves being shown). Externally, the capis provided with an integral projection 17 having a rounded end 18 andsimulating, in general, a nipple, but also adapted to serve as theactuating element in combination with crying mechanism of the type shownin Gardel and Gorsky applications Serial No. 212,655, filed July 26,1962, now Patent No. 3,136,089, and Serial No. 238,355, filed November19, 1962, now abandoned. The projection 17 has a hollow cylindrical orslightly tapering bore 19 and a pin-hole opening 18 in the end 18,communicating with said bore.

The relative vertical dimensions of the several parts are such that thehighest point 10" of the filler-container 2 reaches the line 15 and thelowest point 10 of the tiller top is above the bottom of the cylindricalsurface 14 when the bottom of the filler is firmly seated on the bottomof the body shell 1, and when the cap 3 is likewise firmly seated on theupper edge of the wall 5. The internal diameter of the cylindrical part14 of the capbelow the line 15-is approximately equal to the externaldiameter of, the filler-container 2 so that the upper portion of thelatter fits tightly within said cylindrical part. The space 20 betweenthe walls 5 and 9 constitutes a vertically elongated annular orcylindrical chamber, the volume of which should be not substantiallygreater than the volume of the chamber 21 formed by the interiorsurfaces of the cap and the upper end wall 10 of the filler-container.The length of the tube 12 is such that it extends'to the bore 19 in theprojection 17 and its outer diameter at the top is such that it fitstightly in said bore, providing a continuous liquid passageway from theinterior of the fillercontainer 2, through tube 12, bore 19 and pin-hole18' to the atmosphere.

At an appropriate stage during the assembly of the parts 1, 2 and 3there is introduced into the chamber 20 (or 21) a quantity of liquid22-which may be of a milky appearance or simulate fruit juicesuflicientto substantially fill said chamber, after which the parts arepermanently sealed together as by cementing the flange 13 to the upperedge of the wall 5.

In operation, when the bottle is in the erect vertical position (FIG. 1)the liquid occupies the space 20 andgives the bottle the appearance ofbeing full. When the bottle is more or less inverted (FIG. 2), as when adoll is being fed, the liquid trickles slowly through one or more of thegrooves 16 from the space 20 into the chamber 21 within the cap, whereit disappears from sight as if it had been consumed. After the liquidhas more or less filled the chamber 21completing the feeding of thedoll-the bottle may be returned to its vertical position and the liquidwill flow back through the grooves 16 into the space 20. The slantingend wall 10 of the filler ensures complete and rapid emptying of thechamber 21 because the liquid is shallower near the high point 10",inducing air to enter chamber 21 through grooves 16 nearest to thatpoint while liquid flows out through grooves where the liquid body isdeeper.

The slant of the wall 10 aso permits a certain amount of control overthe rate or feeding according to the rotational position of the bottle.Thus, fiow of the liquid is slowest through the groove or grooves whichmay be at or near the highest point 10" of the filler while the flow isfreer through grooves closer to the low point 10. For example, FIG. 2shows the bottle in its slow-feed position since the groove 16 at theleft is substantially closed by the filler wall. In order to expedite orcomplete the feeding the bottle has to be turned around its axis (e.g.,to to bring one or more other grooves into play, as can readily beappreciated. By providing the simple grooves 16 for permittingrestricted flow of the liquid in both directions it is possible toattain practical results as good as, or better than, those which haveheretofore been thought to require check valves, perforated plates andother complex elements.

In addition to the simulated feeding operation just described, thebottle is adapted to be used for the actual feeding of a liquid,entirely separate from the simulated milk or juice which never leavesthe chambers 20 and 21. For this operation, which may be desired inconnection with drinking and wetting dolls, the bottle is inverted undera stream of water which enters the filler-container 2 through the holes8 in the bottom. The pin-hole 18 may be closed by placing a finger on itto prevent the escape of the water while the bottom cap 4 is beingsnapped into place, said cap being similar to the wellknown pill bottlecaps now commonly used and being designed to have its flange snap over asmall annular ridge 5' near the bottom of the wall 5. If the bottom Wall6 of the shell 1 is flat, as shown, the cap 4 should have an annularshoulder 4' or the like to space the middle of the cap 4 from the wall6; if the wall 6 is concave, this additional spacing of the cap may notbe needed. In either case, it will be understood that the water in thefillercontainer 2 will not readily flow through the pin-hole 18 merelyby graviy, but can easily be pumped out in small spurts by repeatedlypressing on the middle of the cap 4, as indicated by the small arrows 23at the top of FIG. 2,

the pressed-in position of the cap being shown in broken lines. Thus,when a doll is being fed, the captive milk flows slowly from chamber 20to chamber 21, while another liquid (preferably water) actually passesfrom the bottle into the doll in response to the pumping pressure on thebottom of the bottle.

For safety, durability and ease of manufacture the parts 1, 2 and 3 maybe made of high impact strength styrene, While the bottom cap 4 may bemade of polyethylene, although other materials having the desiredcharacteristics of strength and rigidity or flexibility, respectively,could be used if desired.

It will be understood that various changes may be made in the form,construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention, and hence we do not intend to belimited to the details herein shown or described except as the same areincluded in the claims or may be required by disclosures of the priorart.

What we claim is:

1. A bottle or the character described comprising, inner and outerconcentric side walls spaced apart to form an annular cylindricalchamber, a bottom element closing said chamber at the bottom andextending across the bottom of the space within the inner side wall, anupper wall extending across the top of the space within said inner sidewall, an upper cap secured adjacent its periphery to the upper edge ofthe outer side wall, said cap being shaped to provide a closed chamberabove said upper wall, said chambers being in communication, means forrestricting liquid flow between said chambers, means for filling thespace within the inner side wall with a liquid, and means for dispensingsaid liquid comprising a liquid conduit connecting said space to theatmosphere at a point adjacent the top of the cap.

2. A bottle according to claim 1 in which the upper cap terminatesupwardly in a hollow projection having a bore and a hole in its upperend and in which said liquid conduit includes a tube extending from theupper part of said space to the bore of said hollow projection.

3'. A bottle according to claim 2 in which said tube extends from themiddle of the upper wall to the bottom of said bore.

4. A bottle according to claim 1 in which the means for filling thespace within the inner side wall comprises at least one hole through thebottom element, and which includes a bottom cap removably engageablewith the bottle to cover said hole.

5. A bottle according to claim 4 in which the bottom cap is flexible andhas its middle portion spaced from the bottom element.

6. A bottle of the character described comprising, inner and outerconcentric cylindrical side walls spaced apart to form an annularcylindrical chamber, a bottom element closing said chamber at the bottomand extending across the bottom of the space within the inner side walland being perforated, an upper wall bounded peripherally by the upperedge of said inner side wall, an upper cap secured adjacent itsperiphery to the upper edge of said outer side wall, said cap having aninner surface engaging tightly the upper portion of said inner side walland forming a closed chamber above said upper wall, grooves across thezone of engagement between the cap and the inner side wall, said groovesconstituting restricted passages permitting a liquid to flow by gravitybetween said chambers, said upper cap being provided with an upwardlyprojecting hollow simulated nipple portion having a bore and a hole inits upper end, a tube connecting the upper part of the space within theinner side Wall to said bore, and a bottom cap removably engageable withthe bottle to cover the perforations in the bottom element.

7. A bottle according to claim 6 in which the bottle cap is flexible andhas its middle portion spaced from the bottom element.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 19,649 7/1935Wittmann 46141 2,408,05 8 9/ 1946- Gallagher 222209 2,664,226 12/1953Gobin 222209 3,071,888 1/1963 Knott 46-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 451,887 11/1927Germany.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. LOUIS J, BOVASSO, AssistantExaminer.

1. A BOTTLE OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING, INNER AND OUTERCONCENTRIC SIDE WALLS SPACED APART TO FORM AN ANNULAR CYLINDRICALCHAMBER, A BOTTOM ELEMENT CLOSING SAID CHAMBER AT THE BOTTOM ANDEXTENDING ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE SPACE WITHIN THE INNER SIDE WALL, ANUPPER WALL EXTENDING ACROSS THE TOP OF THE SPACE WITHIN SAID INNER SIDEWALL, AN UPPER CAP SECURED ADJACENT ITS PERIPHERY TO THE UPPER EDGE OFTHE OUTER SIDE WALL, SAID CAP BEING SHAPED TO PROVIDE A CLOSED CHAMBERABOVE SAID UPPER WALL, SAID CHAMBERS BEING IN COMMUNICATION, MEANS FORRESTRICTING LIQUID FLOW BETWEEN SAID CHAMBERS, MEANS FOR FILLING THESPACE WITHIN THE INNER SIDE WALL WITH A LIQUID, AND MEANS FOR DISPENSINGSAID LIQUID COMPRISING A LIQUID CONDUIT CONNECTING SAID SPACE TO THEATMOSPHERE AT A POINT ADJACENT THE TOP OF THE CAP.